After five hundred practice swings, he enjoyed a hearty breakfast carefully prepared by Michelin. Then he introduced Nami to all his subordinates and warned them that when he wasn't around, everyone was to listen to Nami. After helping Nami establish her authority, he returned alone to the captain's cabin to begin experiments. First up: accelerated healing.
He took a dagger and slowly drew it across his finger. Blood quickly seeped from the cut. Lister began applying the Swift‑Swift Fruit's power to accelerate the wound.
Pfft— The blood spurted under the fruit's acceleration. Seeing this, Lister's face went pale. He hastily stopped channeling the fruit and shouted irritably, "Bring me meat!"
His bark carried instantly to the crew. At that moment, inspiration struck.
Accelerating self‑healing was hard to do right now. But after a morning of experiments, he had a deeper grasp of the fruit's acceleration. What if he applied it to his stomach and intestines—could he speed up digestion?
He tried it immediately, carefully channeling the Swift‑Swift Fruit into his gut. In an instant, Lister grabbed the plate of skewered meat and tore in with big bites, feeling more vigorous with each mouthful. He felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. The pallor left his face, replaced by a healthy flush, and his energy peaked.
Lister opened the Golden Finger to check.
Account Holder: Lister
Midas Index: 0
"Strange. I clearly feel stronger than before, yet the numbers haven't changed at all. Did I not eat enough?"
After polishing off ten more plates of meat, he felt a bit stronger again. He opened the Golden Finger once more.
Account Holder: Lister
Physique: 2.3
Spirit: 1.2
Midas Index: 0
"No change?" Lister frowned. "Maybe because the food has been in me too short a time. It restored my spirit to a peak state, but strengthening the body needs more time. That must be it. Accelerated digestion and eating meat can make the body stronger, but it takes accumulation over days. Also, accelerating the gut burns some stamina. It's just that because I've been eating constantly, the meat replenishes what I spend. Getting stronger purely by eating won't work in a short time. Still, even so, it's no small gain for me."
In the end, he had developed ultra‑fast digestion. When you plant flowers on purpose, they don't bloom; when you plant willows by chance, they thrive. With ultra‑fast digestion as a successful precedent, Lister felt more confident about developing ultra‑fast healing and even ultra‑fast thinking.
Over the next three days, he rose earlier than everyone, diligently finished three hundred practice swings each morning, ate the careful breakfast Michelin prepared, then returned to the captain's cabin to continue experimenting.
Now, Lister once again cut his finger. As the blood welled, he directed the fruit's power onto the healing cells at the wound.
"Did I do it?"
"Haha, I did it!"
Ultra‑fast regeneration was crucial for Lister's next steps, especially for developing ultra‑fast thinking. He didn't know what side effects might come from applying the fruit to his brain, and ultra‑fast healing would be the final safeguard that could save his life. Ultra‑fast thinking was the ability he valued most; with it, he could devise the strongest techniques in the shortest time and become a true powerhouse. With ultra‑fast regeneration achieved, he was undoubtedly halfway down the road to success—no wonder he was so happy.